Dear Parents and Guardians,

Welcome back to a new school year. I hope that you all enjoyed a happy and relaxing summer holiday.

This is just a short news update with a few details that you need to know at the start of term. A more extensive letter will follow in a few weeks with important information including key dates and exam information. This should be an exciting and busy year as we will continue to develop the site for the benefit of all our students and we hope to have a second Sports Hall space by the end of the year. Also you will shortly be receiving information on how you can access your personal log-in details, so that you can have online access to your child’s attendance, achievement and behaviour records.

I am delighted to announce the appointment of the Student Leadership Team and look forward to working closely with them throughout the year.

Head Boy - Matthew CockingHead Girl - Sophie WilksDeputy Head Boys - Edward Bell and Harry PrestonDeputy Head Girls - Kate Grunwald and Gemma HillStudent Council Leaders - Becci Glover and George Wright

Thank you,Jan Turner, Principal

Head Boy and Head Girl introductions

We are Matt and Sophie and we are your Head Boy and Head Girl for this year. Over the course of the year, we would like to use these positions as a way of helping to enhance College life in a way that will benefit everyone at the College. There are a variety of aims we hope to achieve over the year in order for this to happen, here are a few examples of these:

Firstly, we hope to improve the channel of communication between students and staff by setting up regular meetings and also through the student council. This will allow us to take any of your ideas and opinions on College life and give them a voice, giving you a say in the parts of the College that matter to you. With us being approachable people, feel free to offer any suggestions you have and we will make sure they are heard.

We would also like to focus on encouraging fund raising events by working with the charity coordinator to both raise money for local charities that we can all relate to and to help fund further development for the College’s facilities.

Finally, by working closely with the team of peer mentors, we

aim to be able to improve the relationship between younger students and older students, offering assistance and aid to all students, supporting them in a friendly manner, and in this way, setting up a more close-knit peer mentoring system, as we feel by offering help to other students, we can improve their experience of College life.

By succeeding with these ideas, amongst others, we hope that we can leave our mark on the College, improving it not only for current students, but also for students to come.

Thank you,Matt Cocking and Sophie Wilks

Uppingham Community CollegeA Specialist Technology Academy

Special Edition: September 2012

Matthew CoCking, Sophie wilkS and MrS turner

open eveninG wedneSday 19th SepteMber

7.00pM-9.00pM

The staff and governors invite you to visit the College and experience the opportunities offered for your child’s future success.

A presentation by the Principal will be at 7.00-7.20pm or 7.30-7.50pm or 8.00-8.20pm.

outstandinG Gcse results For year 11

Once again Uppingham Community College is delighted with the exceptional achievements of its students in their GCSE exam results. 83% of the students gained 5 or more A* - C grades, with significant successes for a number of students. This is likely to increase further as we await some final results for English Language.

Katie Wickham, Amelia Grice and Ben Hickman all achieved 11 A/A* grades. Ben Allen, Miriam Brittenden, Francesca Collins, Katie Frearson, Marcus Griffiths, Kitty Kirton, Lorlor Osborn, Florrie Parsons, Emma Rata, Rudi Vizma and Ed Wright each gained an impressive 10 or more A/A*s.

We are well above the national average in many areas, including the percentage of A/A* and the EBacc grades. 42% of our young people gained 3 or more A/A* grades and a staggering 56% gained at least 1 A/A*.

100% of the students who took vocational courses on day release at local colleges also passed their exams. Congratulations Year 11! We are extremely pleased that the hard work and efforts of our young people have been reflected in these outstanding results. We wish them every success in their future career paths.

aBsence requests durinG term time

Please take note of the following change to requests for absence during term time.

The ‘Keeping of Pupil Regulations 2006’ took away the right of parents to remove their child for family holiday during term time other than in exceptional circumstances. Principals are able to authorise absence from College only if the request meets the criteria of exceptional circumstance. Please be aware that a fixed penalty notice may be issued by the local authority if you choose to take unauthorised term time holiday.

colleGe car park and parkinG

Due to the works that have taken place prior to the summer holidays, there is no longer any need for any parking on the roadside at any time of the day, thus making pulling out safer and negating the need for students to enter or leave College by walking across the entrance and exit of the car park. To do this we need to have the drop off area available at the start and end of the day. To allow this to be kept clear, we have added the additional gravel parking area. This additional parking, together with the relief road behind the recycling centre linking from the original gravel parking area now means that cars are able to leave even when the buses are stacked up waiting at the end of the day.

We now have new road markings, change of wording for the drop off signs and an extra length of fencing in the new car park to give some indication of where the entrance is.

sHow my Homework

All homework that is set for Year 7 students is available on the ‘Show my Homework’ website. This shows clearly the due date of the homework and includes details of the task, and may have other resources or links attached.

To find your child’s homework on the Show my Homework Website simply follow the steps below:

Go to the UCC website www.ucc.rutland.sch.1. ukClick on the link to ‘Show My Homework’ on 2. the right hand side under the heading ‘Virtual Learning Environment’.You will be able to see all 3. the homework for the current week. You may then filter the results for Year 7, or any particular class or teacher.Click on any homework ‘box’ for further 4. details of the task and any attachments.

Teachers may also be displaying homework to other year groups on the Show My Homework site. These can be accessed in the same way as above. We will evaluate the success of this new system for Year 7 this term before considering whether to roll it out for all year groups.

Important term Dates

inStruMental leSSonS Start thiS week

College CounCil Meeting (p4)College photoS

Junior Football leaderShip awardS

yr9 FrenCh exChange parentS Meeting (5pM, draMa Studio)open evening (7pM -9pM)yr11 geography Field trip to norFolk

european day oF languageS

theMe day

yr8 trip to the natural hiStory MuSeuM

poSt 16 evening

yr11 deSign trip to london

yr9 FrenCh exChange (FranCe to uCC)

yr9 FrenCh exChange trip to london

yr11 art trip to the botaniC gardenS

yr8 girlS hpv iMMuniSationS

yr11 hiStory trip berlin

autuMn halF terM

SpaniSh exChange (Spain to uCC)new terM StartS

septemBer

10th-14th

12th

15th

17th

19th

21St

24th

26th

27th

28th-5th

octoBer

1St

2nd

4th

15th-17th

15th-26th

24th-31St

29th